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Down for the Count (Part I)
"Down For The Count (Part I)" is the twelfth episode of Miami Vice's third season. The episode premiered on January 9, 1987 and features the death of Larry Zito. Summary Zito goes undercover as a boxing manager to get close to a bookmaker, but comes at a very high cost. Plot Zito takes Crockett, Tubbs and Switek to a boxing match with a fighter, Bobby Sykes (Mark Breland), trained by a man named Moon (Randall "Tex" Cobb), and in the crowd is Oswaldo Guzman (Pepe Serna), who Crockett calls "one bad man", and has an interest in the fight. Sykes wins his fight, but the previous fighter had a draw, and he went to see Guzman to get his pay, but he only got $250 of the $400 he was promised, and when he threatens to leave, Guzman's goons stop him and Guzman kills him. At OCB, the Vice squad find Guzman was a former drug importer, who got out of the business, has been clean for the past three years, Crockett was very close to busting him, now he's been in boxing for the past two years, came in strong with a ton of cash. Crockett wants him taken down, no matter what charge, for both business and personal reasons (he killed an informant of Crockett's previously in a particularly vicious and violent manner) and goes to see Don Cash (Don King), who informs them Guzman is bad news, and has changed from drugs to gambling, making book on fights in the Southeastern US, and making a killing, as he is setting the lines and betting on his own fights, with no competition, and suggests Crockett and Tubbs offer Guzman a satellite sports network to get close to him. At OCB, Crockett presents his plan to be part of the "Sunbelt Satellite Sports Network" to promote and air Guzman's fights, provided he sends the next big thing (like Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard), referring to Bobby Sykes. Zito feels Moon won't want to use Sykes that way, but thinks Moon will take him in to help train Sykes. Crockett and Tubbs (as Burnett and Cooper) see Guzman and offer their proposal, who agrees to provide Sykes, if he can get a signed contract. Meanwhile, Moon is hesitant on Zito's plan, especially since Sykes hates cops (his brother was killed by one). Moon agrees, threatening Zito with bodily harm if anything happens to Sykes. Sykes and Zito get into the ring for a sparring session, and Sykes knocks Zito out, much to the amusement of Switek and Moon. One of Guzman's lawyers comes in and offers $50,000 to take Sykes' contract. Moon chases him out of the gym, then asks Zito to show Sykes a few things (Moon was impressed with how he handled Sykes in the ring). Sykes talks to Zito and tells him how he and Moon met - Sykes was stealing the tape deck out of Moon's truck - and that Moon has really helped him in the ring since then. Moon goes to Guzman's place after Guzman leaves, ties up his goon, ransacks his office and takes a book with him. Guzman returns and see what Moon did, which prompts a visit by Guzman and three other goons, and ups his offer of $75,000 for Sykes' contract. Moon tells Guzman he'll have to kill him to get Sykes, and that the book he took was Guzman's gambling book. Guzman replies the book is all in code, and his goons kill Moon. Zito is very upset that Moon got killed, as he didn't want Moon involved, and is concerned with how to tell Sykes. Sykes said he will kill Guzman if he finds he was involved in Moon's death, Zito agrees to take up where Moon left off. Another Guzman associate, George Sordoni, stops by offering Zito $1500 per month, a free apartment, and other perks for his contract. Zito knows Guzman is behind it, and tells him he needs to sweeten their offer because of the sports deal going down. Crockett and Tubbs ups the offer to $15,000 per fight, and they will arrange the fights, and Crockett goes to see Guzman at the arena to tell him Sykes signed a contract with them, and that the satellite deal is dead if he can't get Sykes, Guzman wants Crockett to give him 48 hours. Crockett wants Zito to counter Guzman's anticipated offer with a piece of Guzman's book action. Zito is concerned about screwing with Sykes' career. Sordoni returns before Sykes' next fight and offers $200,000 for Sykes' contract. Zito counters with $250,000 and a piece of Guzman's book action. Sordoni denies knowing about any book action, but will meet with Zito the next morning, and fills Crockett and Tubbs in. Sykes fights WBC #3 contender Hector "Bazooka" Hidalgo and wins by knockout in the tenth round. Switek arranges a celebration, after Zito goes to the gym. At the gym, Guzman's goons show up with Zito alone. Switek stops by, is concerned Zito is not responding, searches the gym and finds Zito, in the shower, dead from an overdose. Switek takes his dead friend and partner and hugs him. Cast *Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett *Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs *Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese *Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek *John Diehl as Metro-Dade Detective Larry Zito *Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin *Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo Guest Stars *Randall "Tex" Cobb as Moon *Mark Breland as Bobby Sykes *Don King as Don Cash *Pepe Serna as Oswaldo Guzman Co-Starring *Harry W. Brennan as First Referee *Antoni Corone as George Sordoni *Kenneth Daron as Caribe *Hector Echavarria as Batista *Kenny Enriquez as Echevarria *Joe Hess as Javier Escobar *Tom Paul Loftus as Whetson *Alfredo Delgado Martinez as Hector "Bazooka" Hidalgo *Kel Sheldon Robin as Stringer *Alfredo Roja as Eldorado *Clemento Rojas as Foley *Bernardo Solo as Second Referee Notes * One year after this episode aired, the "Sunshine Sports Network" launched, now called "Sun Sports", owned by Fox Sports Net. * This is the only two-part episode that was actually aired in two parts; "Brother's Keeper", "The Prodigal Son" and "Freefall" originally aired as two hour episodes that were changed to two part episodes in syndication. Similarly, "Calderone's Return (Part I)" and "Golden Triangle (Part I)" were originally separate from their concluding parts and had different names ("The Hit List" and "Score" respectively), they only became two part episodes in syndication. * Zito reveals he has four sisters, and one brother that OD'd. * The reason behind John Diehl leaving Miami Vice varies, one report has Universal and NBC doing cost-cutting because ratings were down, another that Diehl was tired of the role, yet another that Diehl loved the role but wanted to go into the theater. Music *"Dance" by Ratt (Sykes fighting) *"There's A River" by Steve Winwood (end sequence where Zito dies) Quotes *"Oswaldo Guzman, un hombre muy malo" -- Crockett *"Hey, Bobby, white boy says you're dog meat!" -- Moon to Sykes before Zito steps in spar *"I didn't stop it son, you stopped it!" -- Moon to Zito after Sykes knocks him out Category:Miami Vice Season 3 Episodes